Eric Clapton has been forced to call off a concert planned to take place in Moscow's Red Square after Russian authorities withdrew permission for the event. The singer was set to play on 3 Aug, and was already in possession of a permit "signed by all appropriate Russian city and state authorities", but on 28 Jul, the permit was withdrawn. In a statement, Clapton explained that he was "extremely sorry" to disappoint fans, but that the cancellation was "beyond his control".
The concert was intended to be the finale of Clapton's European tour. It will now finish tonight in Helsinki.